obviously the kick off times and days will change once Sky get their hands on the fixture list and i'd be amazed if the Plod allow West Ham and Cardiff to kick off any time after 1pm but they are the opening games.

I see that England manager Roy Hodgson had had a go at the Premier League this
morning due to the scheduling of Arsenal v Spurs and Liverpool v Man Utd before a crucial weekend for the national team.
I don't agree with the view though that this is the reason why were not very good!

On begin, Liverpool will play with Stoke at home. Since season 2009-10, we just can't win the first fixture match. So I don't think that it will change. Draw is most likely. Also Stoke's win is not ruled out, but no. Of course Liverpool's victory is possible too, but I don't believe too much in it.

I'd like to take some time to commend NBC Sports on their coverage of opening weekend.

It is everything I expected it to be - complete, comprehensive coverage.

Best of all, it was SIMPLE. Sure, there was the hype pieces in the beginning, but they were nothing more than highlights from each team with a primer of who they are. No overdrawn story lines, no forced stories.

Their panel was an immense upgrade from the Fox crew that included the likes of Eric Wynalda and Alexi Lalas (brutal), and much better then ESPN's that feature Tommy Smyth. Sad not to have Ian Darke and Steve McManaman calling the games, but I'd take Martin Tyler any day of the week over Gus Johnson.

My only complaint (and it's a very minor one) is that the play by play seemed to be a half-second ahead of the video - something that should be sorted out by this weekend.

Match of the Day is a dream come true. They use original commentary (as opposed to the BBC version) which I think adds a bit more authenticity as it is genuine, real-time reactions from the commentary booth. Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Robbie Mustow have great chemistry, are very likable, and most importantly, got straight to the point.

10 minutes of highlights, player/manager interviews, analysis. Simple. Earle and Mustow do a great job breaking down key moments and do not obsess or sensationalize storyline like the Fox and ESPN crews used to do.

I give a resounding A for their coverage. Other than the half-second discrepancy, everything else was well done.